(From Robin Sherman, TODAY Producer)
I've worked at the Today Show for just about 11 years now. I've seen a lot of things change on camera and off, but there are certain things that come along with the job that remain a constant. I'm referring specifically to the questions that I think many of us who work in
morning television seem to get on a regular basis. These things have not changed at all over my time here. I can tell anyone new that I meet where I work for a living, and their curiosity is peaked. So below are the questions that I say are asked the most often. I will try to answer each one!
1) What time do you have to be in in the morning?
2) Are Matt and Meredith as nice as they seem?
3) Who comes up with all of the ideas for segments?
1) The Today Show is a 24-hour operation. There are many people who work behind the scenes here at very early hours (some even overnight who you've met already). Others of us have a pretty normal schedule, albeit with days here and there that may start very early, or extend into the evening. Basically we are expected in the studio for segments that we write about a half hour before they air. Producers come in to the studio to make sure our talent and control room are clear about how a segment should go, and also to make sure our guests are comfortable and ready for their appearances.
2) Matt and Meredith are truly as nice as they seem. They are very accessible to the staff, and on any given day, we can knock on their doors and talk to them if we need to. This informal atmosphere makes for a great working environment and is something that I truly think is unique to find these days. I've also heard this accessibility is not something that is found in most television show offices.
3) The ideas are generated from so many different sources. Aside from what the news is, which every news program covers, the feature stories are either assigned to us from our senior producers, or we can pitch stories that we come up with. I read a lot of magazines and newspapers to see what might catch my interest, and if there is something that does, I send it to our senior producers, who decide if it is something that is a good fit for our show.
I hope this has answered some of YOUR questions, and if you have any others, feel free to send them our way. Perhaps the next blog entry might answer yours!